everton fc

[squizza]

Can anyone confirm that everton are the catholic football side in liverpool.

[Gef]

I think you will find that nowadays religious persuasion is not the reason why people support one or other of the Liverpool clubs. However, if you are interested in the history of Everton have a look at http://www.evertonfc.com/history/index.php?page_id
=468

[sft42]

Everton were originally called St. Domingo's as I always enjoy telling rangers fans who think that because they wear blue and celtic fans have an empathy with liverpool they seem to hope that everton might be a rangers club....not so as liverpool as a town has a large irish immigrant population and strong catholic ties.

Regardless of all that there are very few teams if any with a religious identity outside of rangers and celtic (excepting Northern Irish clubs like linfield and cliftonville) anywhere in the UK.

[apricot]

With respect, I disagree. Religious divisions in Liverpool are very strong and although a generalism Everton is indeed the 'left-footers' team.

[jills]

I'm proud to say that altho Scottish, I have no idea what religion "left footer" actually refers to. Kind of assume you'd mean Catholic, but not sure??!! Weird if so, because Everton in recent years have signed a relatively large number of ex Ranger s players (as well as an ex-manager). But then since the Mo Johnston incident, both Rangers and Celtic have signed players, regardless of religion (so well done Mr Souness for openly starting that trend I guess). I never did understand why you would want to support a club on the basis of the religion they supposedly practice. In Scotland the majority of Old Firm fans are not even practising Catholics or Protestants anyway....too weird.

[sft42]

Left footers come from long ago in Ireland hen catholics were taught to dig using shovels with their left foot...

Apricot with the greatest respect this question has been asked in various forms and guises numerous times before and I have had people telling me one manchester side is the catholic team then the other the same with the liverpool sides.....I have yet to see any evidence of "Strong" religious divides in any cities in the UK with regards to football supporting outwith Glasgow (and to a lesser extent edinburgh with hibs and hearts).

[sft42]

......and jills you'll find if you check the history of scottish players that it was only rangers who had a policy of not signing players because of religion.....Jock Stein famously said given the option of two players both equally good one a catholic and one a protestant he would sign the prod everytime as he knew he would get the catholic anyway cause rangers would never sign him.

Should anyone even care to draw breath to begin to argue this then chew on this thought.....Five players in the Lisbon Lions side were protestents as were John Thompson, Danny McGrain and Kenny Dalgleish, and long long before Mo "sells the jerseys in the barra's when he played for my club thistle" Johnson jumped the fence in disgusting style by promising to play for celtic being pictured in a strip one week then signing for rangers the next, celtic with Jock Stein had signed ex ranger Alfie Conn in the 70s.

[apricot]

sft42 you have to have lived through it believe it.

[Gef]

I can't really be bothered with all this sectarian rubbish but just to point out that the great Jock Stein was not a Catholic. By the way I teach in a fairly large non-denominational school in the west of Scotland and both the Rangers and Celtic fans (and we have quite a few , I mean pupils not staff) get on well together - which is the way it should be.

[sadstat]

Everton were indeed founded as St Domingo's but St Domingo's was a Congregational (ie.e nonconformist and protestant) church. Liverpool were founded when the Everton chairman John Houlding ( an Orangeman) upped the team's rent on the ground he owned. A dispute followed and Houlding set up a breakaway side called Liverpool. So you could say both were protestant in foundation. Church affiliation wasn't uncommon in the earlys days of football - Aston Villa were founded by methodists - as the sport was seen as a way of keeping young men fit and active and away from the temptations of drink. I have to laugh at these pitiful attempts by the Old Firm to try and claim other teams as allies in their warped struggle. The present day liverpool support use the tunes of both 'The Sash' and 'The Fields of Athenry' which must confuse Old Firm bigots a lot, but the words they use are their own ('Oh, I am a Liverpudlian' and 'All round the fields of Anfield Road') and football-based. Paradoxically, Scottish football would be a better place if only the genuinely, God-fearing devoutly religious attended Rangers and Celtic matches. Their crowds would only be a few hundred and the rest of us might have a chance

[henke]

Just on post mentioning Danny McGrain. I heard Rangers were keen to sign him until they saw his full name was Daniel Fergus McGrain and just presumed he was Catholic. Just goes to show you should check your facts.